TCDB 2 for Tuesday #131

It is only January 6 and this is already my third post of 2026.  I will not be able to keep up this rate, but it is fun to have some cards to show off.  Today's first batch of cards came from member ILLRIMESAYA'

It is shocking how hard it is to trade for MLB Showdown cards.  I guess collectors who played the game held onto the cards.  These are from the 2000 1st Edition set.  

You know this is an early Molina card due to the absence of his neck tattoo.  This one is a 2006 Bowman Heritage silver foil parallel.

The second trade package came from member PIANELLI.

It is nice to get 1/3 of the 2025 Prizm team set in one trade.  Only another 1/3 to go.

The trade brought me 2 Saggese and Hence cards.  Despite the lack of logos, I like the Panini Crusade set.  Reminds me of the great 1998 Donruss set.  

  

2026 Card Show #1

I knew after work Friday that I was going to a card show this past weekend.  I just did not know which one.  One was about an hour and a half away in Newburgh, IN on Saturday with 50-60 tables.  The other was about two and a half hours away close to St. Louis on Sunday with 140 tables.  Knowing I was going alone to either show, I picked the closer one on Saturday.  

This is the second time I attended a show at this venue.  The first was a week before COVID hit in 2020.  I remember the show well, as I was hunting for cards to take along to be autographed.  This time I was hunting for dime or quarter boxes, along with some hits to my 1960s Cardinals team sets.  

Only one dealer had dime boxes.  I pulled 20 cards, most of them for trade bait.  I did find 5 Cardinals I needed along with an upgrade to my 1997 Pinnacle Certified Ray Lankford.  My other copy has the peel removed.  I had never seen the 2004 Retired Signature Keith Hernandez card.

A nice older gentleman had a binder full of 1960s commons for $1 each.  I did not need any of these, but 2 will be upgrades, while the other 3 will be trade bait.

My last purchase was from a dealer with 3 showcases of vintage cards.  I was little hesitant to stop because none of the cards had prices, and some of the cards were in old screw down holders.  After spending 1.5 hours at the show and only spending $7, I decided to ask.  The dealer allowed me to take the cards out of the top loaders and one screw down.  I was surprised he had a small screw driver.  It was a relief to see prices on the back.  I settled on 4 cards that were marked for $105 total.  He offered them to me for $70, which I gladly paid.

1962 Tim McCarver rookie card, 1963 Ken Boyer, and 1965 Curt Flood.  The Flood is very close to mint, while the other 2 have a couple of soft corners.  My scanner makes the top cards look more off centered than what they are.  

This 1964 Topps Gibson is from the 6th series, make it one of the more difficult card to find.  It is off centered left to right and top to bottom, but otherwise is in great shape.  Glad to knock this tough one off my list.

  

    

Happy 1/1 Day!

My family and I rang in the new year with a few friends and family.  We watched some football and played cards until 1:00 this morning.  Not sure this old man can take too many night staying up that late.  Instead of showing off a few new cards, I thought I would show a few 1/1 from my Lankford collection.

My first 1/1 was this 1998 Score Showcase Series Artist Proof.  

1998 Pinnacle Press Plates

1998 Stadium Club Press Plate

1998 Topps Gold Label Class 3 Red

1999 Stadium Club Printing Plates

1999 Topps Gold Label Class 3

2000 Fleer Mystique Masterpiece

2000 Stadium Club Printing Plate

2023 Panini Flawless Signature Platinum

It would be awesome to add another one to the collection this year, but I am not banking on it.  Hope you all have a great collecting year in 2026.

  

Big Bench Trade

Before the holiday rush set in, I was able to complete a large trade on The Bench with member Brad M.  I sent him 3 insert sets from 2002 Studio in exchange for a little cash and a large Cardinals lot.  I reduced some clutter, made a little spending money, and adding some great Cardinals to my collection.  

Who does not love oddball discs?  Ozzie is a 1988 Fantastic Sam's disc, while Coleman is from the 1991 Cadaco board game.  I count the Coleman as a Cardinal because he is pictured as one, although the back lists him as a Met.  

Another oddball Ozzie, this one from 1994 Churchs Hometown Stars.  Ozzie turns 71 today.  Clayton is a silver parallel from 1998 Pacific, while the bottom 2 are 1999 Fleer Tradition warning track parallels.  

The last 2 base cards are from 2002 Topps Super Teams and 1999 Just.  I love the Super Teams set, wish Topps would bring that brand back.

The Panini portion featured mostly colored parallels.  The pink ice Molina and blue ice Smith from 2024 Prizm are very sharp.

The was a nice variety of Topps inserts, ranging from 2005-2025.

Chrome cards were also well represented.

Two minis from 2023 Allen & Ginter.

Two more Pujols inserts. The card on the left is a 2005 Topps Rookie Cup reprint.

I added to my game used collection with this 2007 Bowman Heritage card.

My son also added a game used card to his Altuve collection, along with a Prism refractor.

My favorite card of the trade is this 2025 Topps Black parallel numbered to 74.  2026 will most likely be a make or break year for Walker.  Fingers crossed he breaks through.

  

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #130

Just two short days until Christmas.  I hope you have all your shopping done.  Mine was pretty easy this year, as the wife took both of my children on a shopping trip.  It takes away the surprise, but at 18 and 21 years old, they do not mind.  Enough of my rambling, time to show off a few cards.  First up are a couple of cards from member cdsforme.

It is hard to pass up a great looking Molina card.  This one is from 2019 Topps X Lindor set.  

My son added a nice 2017 Topps On Demand Altuve card.  This one has a print run of 1,129.

The second trade package came from member jamestagli.

A little bit of color with a 2007 Bowman gold parallel and a 2019 Topps Update 1984 blue insert.  

Here are 3 cards that have nothing in common, but I did not want to scan each separately.  Carpenter is a 2011 Topps Lineage insert, Pujols is a 2025 Donruss Optic parallel, and Flaherty is a 2020 Topps Sticker back.  Most collectors would show the front of the card picturing Aaron Judge, but not this Cardinals collector.    
 

Third Time is a Charm

I have a handful of traders I try to find some bargains for at card shows.  Most of them are team traders who always seem to have cards I need.  TCDB member bdhrbob is one of those guys.  He is a Cubs fan who would loves dumping  his Cardinals on me.  I have been asked a few times at shows why a Cardinals fan is buying a bunch of Cubs.  It is easy finding good deals for his collection when I am close to St. Louis.  We recently completed our third trade of 2026.  I am certain I owe him after this trade.  I sent him 2 inserts in exchange for these 11 Cardinals.

My 2025 Topps Update team set is now complete.  

2025 Prizm is a rather boring looking set, but the team collector in me still chases after the Cardinals.  The OCD in me just cannot let them go.

My first 2025 Allen & Ginter cards includes a nice Bruce Sutter short print.  I am not sure why Topps game a non playoff team like the Cardinals 18 cards in this set.  That is 2 more than the Dodgers.

The highlight of the package was this 2025 A&G Saggese autograph, my first certified autograph of his.  It is not much of an auto, but it is consistent with his in person autographs.  

    

$20 Cardinals Lot

One of my favorite things to surf EBAY for is a good deal on Cardinals lots.  There has not been any that have jumped out at me lately, so I decided to look elsewhere.  Trading Bases member William M. post on the group board about trimming down his collection.  He has a nice website that is easy to find cards which is sorted by team or player with his sale prices listed.  I found 15 different Cardinals from my wantlist that cost me $20 delivered.  

Heritage short print seem to be easier to pull, but are still difficult to find a deal on.  Glad to cross off a couple of older one like the 2008 Looper and 2002 Drew.  The 2024 Yepez leaves me one short of the team set.  Of course it is the Jordan Walker short print.

I completed my 2013 Topps Tribute team set by adding the Molina and Smith cards.  

Speaking of Ozzie, these 2 cards completed my 1995 Pinnacle Museum Collection team set.  I love the top card showing Ozzie in the early stages of his flip.

I completed another team set by adding the 2013 Wal Mart blue Joe Kelly.  It will be an interesting week or two for Brendan Donovan.  He is a hot trade target for many teams, but the Cardinals asking price is rumored to be high.  I love him as a player and he is an even better person off the field, but the Cardinals do not appear to be going anywhere the next few years, so it may be best to trade him.

Two more short print cards, one from 2003 Sweet Spot and the other from 1997 Finest.

My Topps Gold quest continues with two Update cards.  

Finishing up with two numbered short prints.  The 2005 Classics Musial is numbered to 1,000, while the 2003 Fleer Avant Hart is numbered to 699.  

I was very pleased with the average cost of $1.33 for each card including postage.  Once my Christmas bills are paid off, I may have to place another order.